What time is it in Paraguay and Argentina? The confusion is over

Direct answer: There is no longer a time difference between Foz do Iguaçu, Ciudad del Este and Puerto Iguazú. Since October 2024, a Paraguayan law set the country to permanent UTC-3, with no daylight saving, the same as Brasília and the same as Argentina. All three sides of the border show the same time, all year.

For years this was the border's nastiest trap: people missing buses, arriving late for appointments and finding shops shut. It is over, but the habit of "putting the clock forward when you cross" still confuses plenty of people, locals included.

How it was, and how it is now

Paraguay used to observe daylight saving for part of the year, and during that period it ran an hour ahead of Brazil. Since Brazil abolished daylight saving in 2019, the two sides fell out of step for some months and matched in others, the worst of both worlds, because the answer changed with the date.

Since October 2024, Paraguay has been on UTC-3 all year. Argentina already ran permanent UTC-3. So does Brazil. The result: the three countries of the Triple Frontier keep the same time, always.

What it changes in practice

• International buses: the advertised time is the same on both sides. See bus connections across the Triple Frontier
• Ciudad del Este's shops: they open around 7am and close between 4pm and 5pm, and that is now the same as the clock in your pocket, with no conversion
• Flights, bookings and check-in: no time-zone trap between the three sides
• Your phone: if it changes the time by itself as you cross, that is your carrier reacting to a network change, not a real time difference. See SIM cards and internet at the border

Where confusion still lives

Paraguay no longer observes daylight saving, but other countries on the continent do. If your trip continues beyond the border, check the next destination's time zone: what ended is the difference between these three cities, not across South America.

And older content online still repeats the previous rule. The date matters: any text about Paraguay's time zone written before October 2024 is out of date, and following it costs you a shopping morning.

Before you cross

Check the bridge queue now and, if you are shopping, the best time to cross without a queue.

Sources: Paraguayan time-zone legislation (in force since October 2024) · verified against the tz database on 11/09/2026